Reptiles Pet store near me

NOTE: Most mountain horned lizards available for purchase are wild-caught specimens and carry a heavy parasite load and are extremely stressed. Be sure to have your lizard examined and de-wormed by an exotic veterinarian soon after purchase.

AVERAGE SIZE:

10 - 15 inches depending on species and sex

CAGE TEMPS:

Day temps - 78℉
Night temps - 72℉
No basking area is needed, as mountain horned lizards would only receive filtered light in their heavily treed, rainforest environment.
*If temp falls below 70℉ at night, may need supplemental infrared or ceramic heat.

WILD HISTORY:

Most mountain horned dragons purchased in stores and from breeders are wild caught specimens. For this reason, it is imperative to take your new dragon to an exotic veterinarian immediately to be tested and treated for parasites. Mountain horned dragons are arboreal creatures, yet are also semi-aquatic and can spend a considerable amount of time on the ground. All mountain horned species are from tropical humid rainforest climates, such as Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Southern China and Southern Thailand.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:

Mountain horned dragons are long, slim bodied lizards with tails that are usually longer than the lizard’s body itself. A healthy dragon ranges from a bright green to dark brown in color, depending on the species and sex of the animal. The toes are long and most dragons have a dorsal crest that stretches from the head to the tail.

NORMAL BEHAVIOR & INTERACTION:

Mountain horned dragons are generally docile and intelligent lizards that will tolerate some handling when tamed. They may be aggressive to one another, and care must be taken to introduce cage mates slowly and with apprehension. There is no guarantee they will get along well. Mountain horned dragons can be very lethargic and lazy. They will choose the highest perch in their enclosure and often lie on it with all four legs hanging down.
NOTE: Mountain horned dragons can be housed together; but ample space must be made available for each lizard. Cage mates are never guaranteed to get along well, so it is always best to begin with only one lizard.

FEEDING:

Mountain horned lizards are completely insectivorous.

PROTEIN: Protein sources such as gut-loaded crickets, mealworms, cockroaches, kingworms, butter worms, small goldfish, earthworms, wax worms and pinkie mice dusted with a supplement can constitute the diet. Many keepers feel that their dragons feed best on earthworms. If feeding earthworms often, do not dust with calcium, as they have high calcium content on their own. Wild caught insects should never be fed, since they can carry disease. All insects should be gut-loaded (fed a nutritious diet about 24-hours before being offered to your dragon - see our cricket care sheet). Be careful to feed the proper size prey for your dragon’s size. A good rule of thumb is that a cricket should never be larger than the distance between the lizard’s eyes, or the distance from its eyes to its nose. When feeding larger insects to your pet, try to make sure the insects have recently molted, as an insect with a large, hard exoskeleton is difficult to digest and may cause impactions.

LIGHTNING BUGS MUST NEVER BE FED TO A DRAGON. THEY ARE POISONOUS.

Adults should be given insects 6-7 days a week. Feed as many insects as the lizard can eat in 3-5 minutes. All uneaten insects should be removed from the enclosure as they can bite your dragon and cause injury, especially to the eyes. Some dragon owners find it easier to feed their pet in a separate enclosure, free of bedding and furniture, this way you can be sure your lizard eats all its insects, the prey cannot hide and the lizard will not pick up any bedding when grabbing prey and mistakenly ingest it along with the prey.

Commercially prepared diets are available, but they should never constitute the whole diet of your lizard. They can be left in the enclosure in case your pet is hungry between meals.